Russia has a torpedo which no other nation has including the U.S.
The torpedo named VA-111 Shkval is capable of speeds of around 200 knots an hour.
This is almost 4 times the speed of America’s Mark 48 heavyweight torpedo.
A lethal weapon like this is more than a headache for a rival.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes Russia’s VA-111 Shkval superfast torpedo
Let's get started.
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Shkval was actually developed in the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.
It was highly classified and its existence was ultimately revealed in the mid-1990s.
Shkval's design works began in the 1960s when the NII-24 research institute was ordered
to produce a new weapon capable of engaging nuclear submarines.
The merger of the institute and GSKB-47 created the Research Institute of Applied Hydromechanics,
which continued with the design and production of the Shkval.
It was fitted with a nuclear warhead and was meant to neutralize American & NATO surface
ships and subs including those that carried strategic nuclear-tipped ICBMs.
VA-111 Shkval has a length of 8.2 m, has a diameter of 21 inches and has a mass of 2,700 kg or 6,000 lb.
It can accommodate a 210 kg or 460 lb warhead which can either be conventional and nuclear.
The main aspect is obviously the speed.
VA-111 Shkval is capable of speeds up to 200 knots an hour or 230 miles/hr or 370 km /hr.
The Shkval is launched from 533 mm torpedo tubes at 50 knots (93 km/h) before its solid-fuel
rocket ignites and propels it to speeds of 200 knots (370 km/h).
Some reports indicate that speeds of 250+ knots may be achieved and that work on a 300-knot
(560 km/h) version was underway.
But the torpedo has a limited range.
As per reports, the range is around 11–15 km (6.8–9.3 mi).
This is around 1/3 of the range of America’s Mark 48.
So, the submarine has to get in very close to the target ship or submarine.
Due to the speed, if it launched from that range the targeted vessel will have almost
no chance to escape.
Torpedoes use propellers or pumpjets for propulsion.
But Shkval is is totally different and uses a rocket engine powered by solid fuel propellant.
This makes the torpedo faster than the counterparts to an extent.
Shkval also has a trick out its sleeve that enables its to travel through the water without
much drag and increase its speed to unprecedented levels.
This is possible due to very innovative engineering.
Shkval uses an ingenious solution, it pushes the hot rocket exhaust out of its nose, which
converts the water in front of it into steam.
Basically, the water is turned in gas and drag is much much less and this enables to
reach that kind of speed.
This process is known as supercavitation.
It is not an easy thing to pull off and the key is to have the torpedo enclosed in the
gas bubble throughout its path especially even when it is making turning maneuvers.
The gas bubble and rocket engine make a lot of noise and this means that an active and
passive sonar guidance systems will not work.
As per reports, this is why the system initially traveled unguided and they used to travel
in a straight line.
Current versions of Shkval is known to use supercavitation for the initial length of
the journey to get into the target area, then slow down and use the sonar to home into the target.
GOLIS autonomous inertial guidance is implemented in these variants and is much more reliable
when compared to the initial variant.
Shkval is extraordinary technological feet and Russia is at present the only country
to have this kind of torpedo.
They are tipped with a conventional warhead for the current role.
Russian Navy is significantly smaller when compared to the American Navy both in terms
of surface and underwater fleet.
The U.S has 10 Nimitz-class supercarriers in active service and is already in the process
of replacing them with newer Ford class supercarrier
whereas Russia's only carrier may not be operational again.
In this situation, asymmetric weapons like Shkval is a way to maintain balance in
naval warfare.
As per some reports, the U.S has also been trying to get something like this but has
not been able to develop something that fits its requirement.
It is to be noted that Russian and American doctrine is different in this regard and unlike
Russia, the U.S may be looking to develop a more complex weapon which has better range
and targeting capability.